Disclaimer- I'm on my 7th chapter but I might as well say it again, I don't own any characters of FMA. It would be greatly appreciated if I wasn't sued.

Sadie-kun Oh geez, I'm so embarrassed. I meant to get this out ages ago!

Edward Yeah! What's been the stinkin' hold up? You've left us stuck in that forest for ages!

Sadie-kun Sorry! I've just been really busy with guard and homework and tests and…

Edward Whatever, just get going already!

Sadie-kun Right! Last thing, I want to thank all the great artists who drew Katya for me! It's some really amazing work. Now on to Auschwitz!

2nd part January 1945

"We're not enemies," Al spoke up. "Whatever you say, Nazi." "Colonel, I think they may be telling the truth." Ed's tired mind processed the voices. They sounded so familiar. "It isn't your place to say Riza." A light bulb went on in the Elrics' brains. "Fine, I'll prove it." A woman emerged from the dense brush nearby. Her light golden hair was pulled back and clipped behind her head. She wore a grease monkey suit that was unnaturally clean. She grabbed Al's wrist and pulled back the sleeve. The combination of numbers and letters tattooed on his forearm was exposed. "I doubt the Nazis tattoo their own soldiers," she stated.

The response was immediate. Guns were lowered and people in military dress began to reveal themselves. Ed turned to Alphonse. "Al, will you get these handcuffs off me?" Katya replied in an amused tone, "and why would we want to do that pipsqueak?" Edward growled but said nothing in retort. "So why are you all playing dress-up Nazi in this forest?" They all turned towards the dead ringer for Riza Hawkeye. "Well?" Katya, the least intimidated by the look alike, shared the story of their escape. Alphonse helped by adding in his and Ed's previous happenings at the camp while undoing Ed's restraints. By the time they finished, a man had joined Riza and wrapped a hand around her waist. His black shaggy hair and dark eyes contrasted well with his lighter toned skin. He spoke with a deep, confident voice. "Sorry we misjudged you. It's been a long war and it's getting hard to tell friends from enemies. Let me introduce you to my wife, Riza Mustang." "Roy, you know it's Hawkeye." She gave him a stern look and he gave a slight flinch before correcting and saying, "She prefers her maiden name. I'm Roy Mustang by the way." They shook hands and introduced themselves, all the while thinking about this twisted fate.

Edward, weary from the abundant excitement, began to lean on Alphonse like a crutch. Mustang noticed the action and said, "It's obvious you've been through a lot. Please allow my doctor to assist you. Dr. Fury, can we get some help over here?" A small, boyish man in large glasses ran up to the group. He wore an American helmet with a red cross emblazoned on the top. Unfortunately, the helmet was too big so it bounced on his head while he ran. "Yessir?" He replied when he reached them. "Would you please escort these three back to the camp and give them a full medical examination?" Fury saluted and led the trio away as Roy engaged his wife in a discussion of battle tactics.

The main camp turned out to be a short distance away. It was bustling with movement but hardly produced any sound. Edward assumed this was due to the close proximity to Auschwitz. They entered a tent, also labeled with a red cross and were given seats and cups of coffee. As Edward sipped the hot drink, he wondered how long it had been since he had been treated with this much hospitality. A woman in medical garb approached him and began to tend to his wounds. He nearly dropped his cup when he saw her face.

"I can't believe you've managed to go so long without treatment." Her accent was distinctively British but she spoke with the same loving care as in Amestris. Her bright blue eyes and short brown hair mimicked that of Lt. Mariah Ross. Edward nodded and sucked in a sharp breath of air as she dabbed at his fresh wounds. Katya, who sat next to the right of the Elrics, hardly noticed Fury treating her. She was too busy looking at the assortment of bottles lining one wall. "You wouldn't happen to have any vodka would you?"

At that precise moment, another soldier entered the tent. "Finally, someone who appreciates a good drink." His gravelly voice lit up Katya's eyes. "No way! Sergei Litvak! What are you doing here?" He pulled down his shades to get a better look at her. "I heard you had arrived with some interesting company. Figured you needed a good drink after all the excitement." He pulled out a small bottle and two glasses. Katya ignored Fury's protests and hopped down to hug her friend. He was taller than her with a muscular build. In Edward's mind, he compared Sergei's dark green pants and fleece-lined bomber jacket to black pants and a fur lined vest. He even wore a pair of darkened shades. In a way, Ed was glad to see Greed's spirit freed from the bonds of a soulless existence.

"Oh, and look who else we picked up." Sergei gestured to the tent flaps where someone was emerging. She was short but lean with cropped blond hair. The tank top she wore displayed the red tattoos which wound their way around her body. Katya's eyes were wide with shock. "No way. I thought you died Marta! I saw your plane go down in flames!" Marta smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't give up that easily. What happened to you? It looks like you went through a tree shredder!" Katya was handed a glass of liquid, downed it, and told her story of escape. Afterwards, Marta and Sergei occupied her with their own stories.

Ed and Al listened to their reunion as the last bandages were put on their wounds. They felt a pang of jealousy towards Katya. She had friends and comrades here to help her. Through the Elrics' view, they lived in a world where shadows haunted them in the guise of friend or enemies from a former life. Nothing was quite the same as it had been in their world. Yet everywhere was dotted with painful reminders of what they had lost. While in this reverie, another person entered the already crowded room. "Excuse me, Edward Elric?" "Yeah? Who's asking?" The speaker walked into sight. "Lt. Jean Havoc. I was told to escort you to Colonel Mustang." Despite the Texan accent, Havoc remained the same from Amestris. Familiar, yet completely different.

The brothers followed the lieutenant across the camp to a smaller grey tent. The soldiers that milled around camp gave the Elrics a single glance before moving on. No one knew these teens or where they'd come from. They had better things to do than wonder about a couple of strangers. Among the armed masses, Edward noticed a distinction. One group had the US flag emblazoned on their shoulders. Ed assumed this was Mustang's group of soldiers. Another group had a bull's-eye colored red, blue, and white. He recognized this symbol from aircraft he had seen. That meant the British were here as well. The last group Ed guessed was the Russians. As Ed and Al entered the tent, Edward wondered about the power war had to bring such different countries together.

Inside, the room was complete chaos. Ropes of wires were laid across the floor that connected radios and other unrecognizable equipment. Men and women hurried around, checking reports and gathering data. It was quite a shock to the system to see so much directed movement. Havoc continued to lead them through the mess until they reached a large table in the center of the room. Here, Havoc stopped and stood to the side while the commanders of the forces sized-up the brothers.

It seemed Edward was doomed to re-meet everyone he had known previously. Here was Mustang again, sitting next to stern but loving Riza. Ed was startled by the British officer. It was none other than Alex Louis Armstrong. He had the same aura as in central that brought to mind sparkling pink stars. The last commander who was in charge of the Soviets was Hakuro. A perfect fit, Edward thought, for a people so harsh and cold.

"Welcome! Welcome!" Armstrong said with bravado. "You poor chaps must be exhausted. Come sit down and have a spot of tea." It was hard to say no to such an imposing figure so they acquiesced. When they were settled, Mustang began the meeting. "Intelligence recently discovered a horror in Germany. Apparently, a mass extermination of political enemies and ethnic groups has been occurring. The allies' generals decided to send us to end this terrible so-called camp. Now, information about the interior of the camp itself is sparse. Falman, will you please give your report." A tall figure standing to the side stepped forward. Though he was in British dress, Ed could easily imagine him in the Amestrian uniform. "Sir, few planes have managed reconnaissance over the area. As far as we can tell, there are 3 barracks. One for the military and two larger ones for the prisoners. There is also a building complex we don't know the use of as well as four other grouped buildings with smoke coming out of them. One appears to have been damaged and is not operational."

"It's more ashes than smoke." Everyone faced Edward with interest. He continued to explain. "The building complex you were talking about is what they called the research area. In reality, it's a torturing facility and where the 'showers' are. The four other buildings are the ovens." Riza's face displayed a confused look. "What do you mean showers? What are the ovens?" Edward's face darkened, he could say no more. Al saw the look in his brother's eyes and continued for him. "The showers are where they kill you. It's more of a gas chamber but they lie and tell you you're getting a shower. Then they poison you. They take your body and throw it into a crematorium. That's the oven. In a revolt a few years ago, some of the prisoners managed to destroy crematorium IV." Everyone was horrified by this grim oration of the camp. They had known evil things were afoot but no one knew what. Finally, Mustang spoke. "Well, it's decided. We'll attack tomorrow morning. Only kill the guards, the scientists are to be left alone. Help any prisoner you come in contact with but don't be deterred from the objective. We must secure the camp before they can call for back up. Everyone is dismissed."

Slowly, the room emptied of its contents. Ed and Al waited until most had left to talk with the colonel. "Excuse me sir, about the invasion tomorrow…" Mustang shook his head. "You two have been through too much. You're physically and mentally exhausted. I don't want you risking your lives when there are plenty of fresh soldiers who can go. You've earned a rest so enjoy it." He leaned down to whisper the last part. "Plus I promised Hughes that if I found you, I'd keep you safe. He also wanted to pass on the message that he finally married Gracia." Edward jumped from the shock. "How do you know Hughes?" He demanded. "Ever since what he called the 'Thule incident' he's been spying for the allies. I had the pleasure of personally meeting him. He's quite eccentric." Ed smiled and nodded the first smile in many years.

"Now if you don't mind, I need to speak with Colonel Armstrong. Havoc will show you to your quarters." The boys thanked Mustang and followed the Texan out. As they worked their way through the grounds, familiar faces met them anew. Here was Mason in US military clothing. And to the right they saw Breda and Denny Bloch discussing the British armaments. Even voices were mimicked. A deep brass voice came from a dark Russian. Havoc told them his name was Viktor Kuzma but everyone called him 'Slicer' due to his preference of swords. Edward noted the similarity but had no energy to be surprised. All he wanted now was a soft bed and a blanket. Eventually they reached a smaller tent with two cots in it. Havoc told them someone would be delivering food in an hour or so and left.

Finally, the brothers were allowed to collapse into comfort. Edward closed his eyes and tried to allow the terrible memories of the past few years to wash away. He knew they would never go away completely but at least he could finally have some peace. Though his body wanted to sleep, his mind couldn't rest. The faces of his fellow prisoners kept flashing through his mind. One person in particular couldn't leave his conscious. Noah's frail form was tired and worn in his memory. "Al, when I was taken, was I gone long?" Alphonse, lying on the other bed, pulled his thoughts together. "I think it was a few months. No one was sure what had happened or if you had gone with the others." "What others? Other people were brainwashed?" Al sighed. "Not exactly. When we were given those numbers, you were the only 3. The 1's, including me, went back to work in the fields. The 2s weren't so lucky." Ed remembered Noah having a 2. "What do you mean Al? Don't spare my feelings. Just spit it out." Alphonse kept his eyes down as he finished explaining. "People with a 2 were sent to the showers."

The elder Elric could only stare at him in denial. Noah wasn't dead. How could she be? Tomorrow they'd see her after the invasion. She had to survive. It wasn't fair that she died when salvation was so close at hand. "Goodnight Alphonse." Al nodded sadly and pulled up the covers. Edward rolled over, and cried himself to sleep.

Edward Are you kidding? You ended by making me look like a sissy!

Sadie-kun You're not a sissy, you're showing emotion! Sheesh! What is it with guys and feelings?

Edward I show emotion. You didn't have to make me CRY!

Sadie-kun So about my revamped characters of the military. One of the main reasons I wanted to create this story was Riza. My brother and I thought of her being the original Rosie the Riveter. Right after that stroke of genius, we imagined the British Armstrong. I dunno why but it just seemed to fit. Next was the Texan Havoc. I love Texas so I wanted to pay tribute to the state. By the way, I was wondering if anyone else had noticed this. All military characters have names of military vehicles. The P-51 Mustang, the Bradley assault vehicle, there are many others. The break in pattern is Hughes. He comes from Howard Hughes, the eccentric plane designer.

Edward Well that makes sense.

Sadie-kun As for more history, I'm assuming everyone understands the tattoo thing. What you may not know is the story of operation paperclip. Germany was known to contain many great

scientific minds. A race developed between the allies (Britain, US, and Russia) to gather the scientists for their own countries. Many German scientists who had preformed inhuman experiments in camps like Auschwitz were pardoned if they promised to work for the allied countries. It was thanks to some of these men that the nuclear bomb was created. This is why Mustang ordered them not to attack the scientists.

Edward Are you serious? That's absolutely horrible!

Sadie-kun War brings out many new qualities in men that are often disturbing.

Edward Can we please end this on a light note for once?

Sadie-kun Well, I do have a request. Two of my favorite characters in this chappie are Sergei Litvak and Fury. Sergei is just sooooo cool! I got really excited about creating him. Fury I just love for his comical situation. Can't you see him running towards Mustang with a first aid kit and a big helmet bouncing on his head? If someone did a picture of him, I'd love them forever and ever! Seriously, it would be completely awesome!

Edward That's all we have for this installment. Only one chapter to go! Review if you'd like to share any personal stories or just chat! Thanx for reading!